Emirates launches first direct Dubai-Helsinki flights

Dubai: Emirates operated its first flight from Dubai to Helsinki, introducing the only year-round direct link between the UAE and Finland on October 1.

Flight EK167 departed at 7.30am with a near-full passenger and cargo load, including a VIP delegation and media.

The service will operate daily on an Airbus A350, which seats 298 passengers across Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins. Onboard menus will include Finnish dishes such as juniper-marinated salmon, seared venison and lingonberry cheesecake.

Flights are timed for connections via Dubai to destinations across Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia. Helsinki will be reachable from nearly 140 points on the Emirates network, including key cities in Australia, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Each Helsinki flight will also carry up to 16 tonnes of cargo in the belly hold through Emirates SkyCargo, supporting trade in both directions and linking Finland and the UAE to global markets via Dubai.

The inaugural flight carried officials and delegates from both countries. They included His Excellency Mohamed Rashid bin Taliah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Government Knowledge Exchange. The flight also had delegates from sectors of UAE-Finland cooperation including cybersecurity, digital transformation, energy, trade and education.

Onboard flight EK167

Finland was represented by Ambassador Tuula Yrjölä, who covers the UAE and Bahrain, and Jorge Fernández Gates, Senior Advisor at the Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi. Samuli Pesu, Chairman of the Finnish Business Council UAE, also travelled.

Omar bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General of the General Civil Aviation Authority, joined the flight, as did Lieutenant Colonel Juma Abdulla Obaid Bin Subaih Alflasi, Acting Director of Passport Control at Terminal 3 for the General Directorate for Identity and Foreigners Affairs.

The Emirates delegation was led by Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Jeffrey Van Heaften, Senior Vice President of Cargo Commercial Worldwide at Emirates SkyCargo.